"Our Caucus's top guiding principle is fiscal responsibility, and oneof the main themes we've recognized as key is restraining andre-examining state spending and budget growth to determine if programsand directives we fund are still necessary and essential stateservices," Speaker Chenault said. "We've been looking at what otherstates do over the past couple of years and this is something we'vegone back to, and similar to what Texas does today."

Speaker Chenault says that with shortened 90-day sessions the financecommittees have less time to thoroughly review the governor's proposedannual budgets, leading to justifications of spending and inflationaryincreases instead of the typical analysis of finding efficiencies."Our Co-Chairs do the best they job they can to restrain growth, butthe fact of the matter is throughput in the oil pipeline is decreasingbut state spending at a departmental level isn't following suit. Weneed to start re-evaluating state entities now, while we can afford itthanks to the high price of oil, before the spigot closes and we'releft scrambling to fill gaps and re-start these discussions."

"Alaska's military families deal with deployments, training missions,relocations, and extended periods of single parenthood. HB 28 allowsthem to be able to not only continue in their chosen field, but alsocontribute income to help keep their families afloat," Thomas said.

(Juneau) - The Alaska State House of Representatives todayunanimously passed a bill that will benefit senior citizens across thestate by including regional housing authorities in the eligibilitypool for receiving housing development grants. Rep. Bryce Edgmon,D-Dillingham, sponsored the bill, House Bill 65, along with fellowBush Caucus members Reps. Bob Herron, D-Bethel, Neal Foster, D-Nome,and Reggie Joule, D-Kotzebue.

HB 65 adds the state's 14 regional housing authorities, spanning fromKetchikan to Barrow, to the list of entities eligible for grantsthrough the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation's Senior CitizensHousing Development Fund, or SCHDF. The fund contributes toorganizations that develop quality housing for older Alaskans.Currently, the grants have been available to municipalities and501(c)(3) and (4) nonprofits.